Chain of command
by Raya Di
Summary: After the events from 11x07 Better Angels Tony demands answers from Gibbs. Why wasn't he allowed to take point in Gibbs' absence? For everyone who hates how Tony is always made the idiot of the show and how the fact he's SFA is always ignored.


Warning: If you are a McGee fan you probably won't like this story. He doesn't make an appearance and is neither the hero of this story nor the poor innocent victim. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any of the characters and I don't make any money with this story.

It had been a few days since Gibbs was back from visiting his father and his father's friend. Tony had been rather quiet the whole time. He was probably sulking, Gibbs thought. And why? Just because Gibbs had backed McGee up and left him in charge for the case. But honestly, it was time for Tony to grow up. McGee wasn't a probie anymore and he should stop treating him like one. It was his own fault. If he hadn't been taking advantage of his position to put McGee down, Gibbs wouldn't have been forced to step in.

And that sulking was beyond childish.

He would never admit it but he hated the silence. When the two of them where the only ones still working he decided to get over with it.

"Anything on your mind DiNozzo?" he asked.

"Just thinking." Tony answered quietly but said no more than that.

"Tell me!" Gibbs demanded.

Tony needed a few seconds to make up his mind. He decided it was beyond time he voiced his thoughts.

"I'm just wondering… why do you still keep me around? Why haven't you promoted McGee yet? It's kind of obvious that you don't see me as your second in command anymore. So why not getting over with it?" _Because you have no nerve to pick and train another agent since Ziva already left?_ He kept the thought to himself though.

Gibbs sighed. He knew it.

"Seriously DiNozzo? That's what this is about? Because once it was you on the receiving end and not McGee?" He had wanted to teach Tony a lesson. A lesson about respect that the younger agent badly needed to learn.

"What's that suppose to mean? I mean, seriously boss, McGee as the poor victim who can't stand up for himself?" _Just in case you haven't noticed: McGee dishes it out pretty well for many years now._ He silently added.

"And what's the point anyway. When you are absent, I'm automatically in charge. Still you gave point to McGee with no obvious reason. It wasn't a case where we needed special computer skills or anything alike so there was no reason to choose McGee. What's the point in being second in command when I am not in command on the rare occasion you're absent? Do you don't trust me anymore? And by the way McGee didn't _receive_ anything bad at all."

He knew he probably sounded like a child but the whole thing annoyed him. Once he had been proud being the senior field agent of team Gibbs. Unfortunately he had to learn quickly that it didn't count for anything. He took a lot over the years and now it was enough. Right now he just wanted to know why Gibbs acted the way he did. Was it about trust? Did Gibbs think Tony was incapable of being in charge?

"No? He didn't? Clearly sounded that way to me. Sounded like you were taking advantage of your position to get one over on McGee by giving him some crappy job. You need to learn to respect your teammates."

Tony laughed humorlessly. That was a joke right?

"Me?" He asked incredulously.

"That crappy job you talk about was looking trough files of possibly related cases. Files from other bank robberies in the area. It might not be the most interesting task in the world but it was an important case related one. I don't see anything wrong with that. You even praised him for his findings. I didn't send him off to search a dumpster or anything like that. I have to admit that I would have if it had helped solving the case. The task I gave him was standard research. Like background checks or checking of financial record. Where is the insult in that? You probably would have given him the same task if it was the two of you working the case and he would have done it without complaining. Oh, and before you say something: I wasn't lazily sitting beside him while watching him work. I worked as well. And anyways, do you really think I'm that unprofessional? Do you think I would give him some stupid needless task just to feel superior? I thought you knew me better than that."

Gibbs was confused. It definitely didn't sound like something to tease McGee and he didn't think Tony would lie to his face. Gibbs had given his agents worse tasks many times – not to tease them but because it was necessary. But why did McGee say what he did? It made no sense then.

Tony often showed that childish behavior and tried to put McGee down. He assumed that Tony did some childish 'I am the boss and command you around as I like' thing.

As Gibbs kept his silence Tony continued.

"Broke one of your rules? Assumed something? Well, the problem had never been the task. It had been the fact that I was the one who ordered him to do it. And as the senior field agent of this team it was my right to do so. It's actually not only my right, it's my job! But you probably forgot that, didn't you? I think that's part of the problem. You don't treat me like your second in command and even encourage McGee to disrespect me! It's not me who needs a lesson about respect." By now Tony stood in front of Gibbs desk. He didn't plan to actually say that last part but he couldn't stop himself. McGee always had that arrogant 'I am better because I'm a MIT graduate' attitude. Gibbs kind of supported it indirectly when he treated his agents so differently.

Gibbs didn't say anything and so Tony turned around and left.

He had been mad at McGee. And disappointed as well to be honest. After ten years he hadn't learned that the chain of command was there for a reason. Gibbs didn't help much either and now he just kept silent and didn't even try to fix things. Tony wondered how he could go on like this. Maybe it was finally time for him to move on.

**Authors note: **Hi everyone, I wrote this because I'm so sick of Tony being treated disrespectful and the chain of command constantly being ignored. This story is for everyone who feels the same, especially in regard of the episode Better Angels. I heard people saying Gibbs chose McGee because Tony was so arrogant. I watched that part of the episode again but I felt McGee was the one with the arrogant attitude. There was no reason to play the 'Tony gave me a job I'm too good for' card.

On the show all the agents treat each other bad quite a few times. But it seems like they always only remember Tony being a bad and disrespectful person. I think he receives even more cruel comments and treatment than any of the other characters… And that's always ignored.

I hope you enjoyed. I tried my best but English is not my mother tongue so there are probably quite a few mistakes. Sorry for that.

There won't be a sequel to this story. I just tried to reflect what Tony might have thought after being put to the sidelines again.  
I planned to write a story about the chain of command always being ignored even before I saw Better Angels. So there will be a more general story about this topic.


End file.
